Conveyer



Jail. 22, 1929.

CONVEYER 5 sneetsneet Original Fili-ed. March, 24 1922 Q rl-- L Jai-1.22, 1929.

J. M. KELLER ET AL CONVEYER Original Filed March 24, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheei Il ,Il I 71A fro/wif 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 jms. 22, 1929.

J. M. KELLER ET AL CONVEYER Original Filed March 24. 1922 Jan. 22, 1929.

J. M. KELLER ET AL.

coNvEYER Grivgnal Filed March 24. 1922 '5 sheets-sheet 4 n, lax f @W M Jam 22, 1929.

J. M. KELLER ET-AL.

-CONVEYER origina; Filed March 24,. 1922 s sheets-sheet 5 iwf/v@ Patented Jan. 22, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcs.

JUL'E M. KELLER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND JOSEPH H. AMES, DECEASED, LATE OF NEW YORK, N. Y., BY RHODA POLAND KAUFMAN, ADMINISTRATRX, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS T0 AMERICAN CAR-AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

conveyer..

Original application iled March 24, 1922, Serial No. 546,540. Divided and this application filed April 9,

1926. Serial No. 100,880.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred form of the invention; though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof within the scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general plan view of our improved conveyer shown in position in a wheel casting plant;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the conveyer or turntable taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and showing the means for supporting the turntable;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a portion of the table;

Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of the table with the top plates removed, and part of rack rail base broken away to show the driving pinion; A

Fig. 5 is a broken sectional view taken on line 5-5 of 1 showing one of the table driving units in side elevation;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of'one of the table driving units; and t Fig. 7 is an end elevation of one of the table driving units.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved conveyer for use in foundries,

and more particularly in foundries for casting railway car wheels of a type which comprises a traveling annular table or turntable adapted to be driven intermittently or continuously for carrying the molds to the places at which the various operations of the foundry are performed.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a suitable `driving means for a conveyer of the type described.

With these and other objects in view', this invention comprises a conveyer or turntable 1 which is shown in the drawings in connection with the wheel casting plant which forms the subject matter of the application of J ulek M. Keller and Joseph H. Ames, Serial No. 546,540, filed March 24, 1922, and ofvvvhich application this application is a division. The conveyer or turntable 1 encloses an area in which are placed the drag molding machine 2, roll-over machine 3 and the cope..

molding machine 4. These machines are positioned so as to be supplied with sand from f an overhead sand bin carried upon the foundationsV 5. Within the area enclosed by the table there are also'mounted a cope jolting machine 6 and a drag jolting machine 7, both machines being mounted so that the sand from the copes and drags will fall into a sand pit 8 formed beneath the jolting machines 6 and 7. The pit 8 extends beyond the travel-r ing table 1 and mounted above this portion of the pit 8 is a wheel jolting machine 9. Between the olting machine 7 and the molding machine 2 there are provided a plurality of gravity conveyers 10 that provide storage space for the drags while cooling and are served by traveling` hoists on an overhead monorail 11 at one end and on an overhead monorail 12 at the other end while between the jolting machine 6 and molding machine 4 there are a plurality of tracks 13 joined by transfer tracks 14 that provide a means for moving the buggies on which the copes and chills are carried. Leading from one track 13 is a transfer trackl that provides a meansv for conveying the loaded buggies to the storage tracks 16. 'Y

The monorail' 12 connects with a monorail 17 that extends above the center line of the table for more than half the circumference of the table and is provided with a spur or eX* tension 18 which goes to the roll-over machine 3 spurs 19, 20, and 21 which join so as to form complete loops serving the molding machine 4; a spur 28 extending without the table area;

and spurs 22, 23, 24 and 25 which join forming loops for the routing of a pouring ladle from the ladle hoist 26 in front of the -bull ladle 27 to a pouring position over the turntable 1 and back to the ladle hoist 26.

In the operation of the plant, a drag is taken from the conveyer 10 and placed on the molding machine 2 by means of a hoist on the monorail 12. When filled with sand, the drag is turned over on the roll-over machine then lpicked up by means of a hoist onthe monorai-l 18 and placed on the turntable l, the cores being placed after thek drag is placed on the table. A cope and chill, secured together in any desired way, are brought from a storage track 16 and lifted from the buggy onto the molding machine 4 by means of a hoist on the inonorail 21. When filled with sand, the cope and chill are lifted from the molding machine 4 by means of a hoist on the monorail 19, turned over While supported from the monorail, the chaplets placed and the chill oiled and then moved along on monorail 17 and lowered down and clamped in position on a drag that is being carried to the pouring position on the table 1.

The ladles, tilled from the bull ladle 27, are raised by the ladle elevator 26 so as to be engaged and conveyed at a lixed height, by means of a traveling support on monorail 25, to a pouring position on monorail 17. The height of the ladle When supported from the monorail 17 is lined so as to insure the pouring of all molds with the ladle at the proper distance above the molds and vthe length of the monorail 17 permits of the pouring being at such a point that the casting will be at the proper temperature for removal from the mold when the movement of the table 1 brings the mold beneath the monorail 29. With the mold in position beneath the monorail 29, the cope and chill are removed by means of a hoist on the monorail 29 and placed on the `iolting machine 6, from which, after the sand has been removed, they are placed on a buggy and moved to a storage track to cool. With the cope and chill removed from the mold, the head is broken from the casting and the casting is removed from the vmold by means of a. hoist on the monorail 29 and placed on the jolting machine 9. While on the jolting machine 9, the casting is cleaned by a power driven brush supported from the crane 30 and then placed by the crane 31 upon a gravity conveyer 32 upon which it travels to the soaking pits. A hub core reamer 33 removes the core from the hub While the casting rests upon the conveyer 32. The drag is removed from the table 1 to a jolting machine 7 from Which it is removed, by means of a hoist on the monorail 34, to the gravity conveyers 10, Where it cools as it moves toward the monorail 12, Where it is again picked up for further use.

The sand deposited in the pit 8 is conveyed by means of belt conveyers, and an elevator 75 to a main storage bin carried on the foundations 76 from Which it is conveyed by other conveyers and elevators to the supply bin carried on the foundations 5, the sand being tempered and conditioned While being moved. Foundations 7 7 and 7 8 carry part of the overhead structure of the elevators and conveyers but as the sand conveying apparatus forms no part of our invention it is not shown in detail.

As shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 4, the turntable 1 comprises spaced. circular channel members 35 and 36 connected at regular intervals by girder members 37 that are secured to the channel members 35 and 36 by angles 38 and gusset plates 39, additional revthe proper height above the floorlcvel.

enforcing members 40, and a top consisting of undersides of the girder members 37 are supporting rails 42 that travel on Wheels 43 journaled on axles 44. The axles 44 are supported in rbearings 45 mounted on bearing bases 46 on a suitable foundation 47 that'is in the form of a pit so as to bring the table top at r@ the undersides of the girder members 37, and between the supporting rails 42 is a membery 48, substantially l-Lshape iii-cross section,

.that has one leg formed into Ya rack 49 engaged by a drive pinion 50 and the other leg forming a guide 51 that engages guide rollers 52 carried by roller bas-es 53 secured onrthe bearings 45, the legs being provided with flanges by Which the member 48 is secured to the Oirder members37. Plates 54 su )ported es i l l at each side of the pit by angles 55 secured to the foundation by bolts 56, are connected by angles 57 and serve to keep the pit clear. 'SeV cured to the outer faces of the channel members 35 and 36 are plates 58 Which project below the channel members 35 and 36 and overlap the upper edges of the plates 54 and keep material from dropping from he table into the pit.

To operate the table there are provided a plurality of driving units 59 Which are placed in a pit beneath the control and pouring platform 60. These units are identical except that they are designed to operate the table at different rates of speed. The units are, therefore, adapted to serve as spare or emergenoy units for each other and,\vith the range fort-he pouring and opening points given by the monorails 17 and 29, they provide means for moving the molds from pouring point to opening' point in the proper time for castings differing greatly in lWeight. Each unit 59 comprises an electric motor 61 controlled from a controller boX 62 on the platform 60 and connected by a coupling 63 to shaft 64. of a Weighted. iiy-Wheel or kinetic Aenergy device 65, the shaft 64 being connected at its opposite end to the shaft of a spur gear speed transformer 66. The shaft of the spur gear speed transformer 66 is connected through a reversing clutch 67 controlled by a lever 68 from the control platform 66. The clutch 67 operates a Worm which, in turn, operates a Worm Wheel in the casing 69. The Worm Wheel operates a shaft 7() which is connected through a coupling 71 to a shaft7 2 which operates a pair of bevel gears in the casing 7 llhe bevel gears in the casing 7 3 drive the vertical shaft 74 upon which the driving pinion 5() is secured. The parts of the coupling 71 are adapted to be disconnected so that only the drive pinion and bevel gears of the spare or idle set will be operated during the operation of the table.y `While the drive units are shown as mounted upon integral bases, the various elements of the drive units may be mounted upon separate bases or grouped upon a plurality of bases as desired.

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyer comprising anannular table having supporting rails, a rack carried by said table, roller supports for said support ing rails comprising wheels journaled on axles, bearingv supports for said axles and supporting bases for said bearing supports and guide rollers engaging said rack and carried by said bearing supports.

2. A conveyer comprising an annular table having side members, cross members joining said side members, top plate sections secured to said side members and supporting rails carried by said cross members, a raclr element mounted between said rails, and means cooperating with said rack element for guiding said table.

3. A conveyer having spaced supporting rails, a rack carried by said conveyer between said rails, wheels supporting said rails, axles upon which said wheels are journaled, fixed supporting bearings for said axles, shield plates mounted adjacent said wheels and plates on said table adapted to overlap said shield plates.

4. A conveyer comprising a table having concentric channel side members, cross members joining said side members, top plates carried by said side members, spaced supporting rails secured to said cross members and xedly mounted roller supports for said rails.

5. A conveyer comprising a traveling annular table, roller supports for said table, fixed plates mounted adjacent said roller supports and plates carried by saidA table and lapping said fixed plates.

6. In a conveyer comprising an annular table, an annular rack member carried by said table comprising spaced parallel portions having outwardly projecting flanges and means connecting said parallel portions.

7. A conveyer comprising opposed annular side members, cross members extending between and connecting said side members, spaced supporting rails secured to the cross members, drive pinions below said cross members, a rack secured to the cross members and engaged by said pinions to drive the conveyer, rollers upon which the rails travel, and means for driving the pinions.

8. A conveyer comprising opposed annular side members, cross members extending between and connecting said side members, top plates secured directly to the side members and providing with the side members and cross members an annular table, spaced supporting rails secured to the cross members, wheels upon which said rails travel, means below said table and between the rails for driving the table, and guiding means below the table intermediate the rails and arranged in opposed relation to said driving means.

9. In a conveyer, a plurality of ixedly mounted pairs of rollers, an annular table supported by and movable on said rollers, driving means below said table between pairs of rollers, and guide means for the table arranged in opposed relation to the driving means. Y

10. In a conveyer, a plurality of iixedly mount-ea pairs of rollers, an annular table supported by and movable on said rollers, anV

H-shaped element secured to the bottom of the table between the sides thereof, guide rollers engaging one side of said element, a rack formed on the other side thereof, and pinions engaged with said rack for driving said table.

1l. A conveyer comprising an annular table, rails carried by the table below the latter, ixedly mounted wheels supporting said rails andon which the table travels, a rack element secured to the bottom of the table intermediate the rails, a guideway formed with said rack element and in opposed relation thereto, guide rollers cooperating with said guideway, driving pinions below said vtable and engaging the rack, and means for driving said pinions.

12. In a conveyer comprising an annular table, rails carried thereby, and ixedly mounted wheels supporting the rails and on which said table travels, means for driving and guiding said table comprising a rack having` an opposed guideway, ixedly mounted rollers engaging the guideway, and pinions engaging said rack.

13. In a. conveyer comprising an annular table having rails carried thereby, means for mounting the table and for driving and guiding the latter comprising xe'd bearings, wheels supported by the bearings and on which the rails travel, a rack secured to the bottom of the table intermediate the rails and having an integral guideway, guide rollers carried by the bearings` and working in the guideway, ixedly mounted pinions engaging the rack, and driving means ior said pinions.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

yRI-IODA POLAND KAU F MAN, Admz'm'stmtm'w with the VV/ZZ flammea? of the Estate of Joseph H. Ames. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

J ULE M. KELLER. 

